The spin off of Takao Saito’s Golgo 13 manga, Gunsmith Dave, revealed in its first volume that the Golgo 13 franchise has reached 300 million copies in circulation.

Shogakukan’s Big Comic Zōkan magazine’s June issue released on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, announced that Golgo 13 manga will receive its 2nd spin-off series. The new spin-off will be published in the August issue on July 15. The manga is created by Saito and Saito Production.

No additional information on the title or name of the main character was revealed. However, the magazine featured a silhouette of the main character and described her as a popular and well-known female among manga fans, and that she is attractive, intelligent, and incredibly athletic, and that she may have Duke Togo‘s “genes.”

Golgo 13 is the oldest manga still in publication. Takao Saito died in September 2021 and wished the manga continued without him, said Shogakukan. His production company, Saito Production Group are tasked with drawing the manga with help from Shogakukan’s Big Comic magazine’s editorial and scriptwriting department.

Takao launched the Golgo 13 manga in 1968 in Shogakukan’s Big Comic magazine. It broke the Guinness World record for the “most volumes published for a single manga series” in July 2021. It achieved this milestone with 201st compiled volume book was released in Japan. Its 205th volume was shipped on July 5.

Golgo 13 won the 21st Shogakukan Manga Award, a Japan Cartoonists Association Grand Prize award, and the special judge’s award at the 50th Shogakukan Manga Awards. Saito was awarded the Medal of Honor With Purple Ribbon in 2003, and the Order of Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays With Rosette in 2010.

Source: Shogakukan’s website